‘Allegiant’ is poised to topple ‘Zootopia’ at the weekend box office

The latest movie in Lionsgate’s “Divergent” sci-fi series could unseat Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Zootopia” at the box office this weekend, but it probably won’t match the openings for previous installments.

“Allegiant,” starring Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller, may gross $40 million to $45 million Friday through Sunday in the U.S. and Canada, according to people who have reviewed pre-release audience surveys. More conservative estimates project an opening of $30 million to $40 million.

Either way, that would represent a decline from the first two movies in the franchise, which both grossed more than $50 million in their first three days in theaters. That could be a troubling sign for the studio that has a fourth “Divergent” movie planned for next year. “Allegiant” cost about $110 million to make.

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The young-adult series, based on the books by Veronica Roth, have been reliable tent poles for Santa Monica-based Lionsgate. The first “Divergent” from 2014 amassed $151 million in U.S.-Canada ticket sales during its full domestic run, while last year’s “Insurgent” collected $130 million.

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“Zootopia” should continue its impressive box-office run, adding about $25 million to its menagerie this weekend. Disney’s well-reviewed computer-animated offering has already posted about $155 million in domestic ticket sales, and held the top spot on the charts for two straight weekends. It has also done robust business internationally, with $311 million overseas for a global total of $466 million in box-office receipts.

Elsewhere, Sony Pictures and its Affirm Films division will attempt to again benefit from the crossover appeal of faith-based movies with “Miracles From Heaven.”

The $13-million movie starring Jennifer Garner is based on the memoir of Christy Beam, about her daughter. In the film, the girl is diagnosed with a rare medical disorder, falls from a tree and suddenly recovers after she has an experience of the afterlife.

The Christian-themed picture opened Wednesday to kick-start buzz going into the Easter holiday season. It could gross more than $20 million over its five-day opening window, though the studio is projecting a much softer debut of $10 million, given the heavy competition from family movies already in theaters. Affirm’s most recent movie, the biblical epic “Risen,” opened to a solid $11 million last month.

The Patricia Riggen-directed drama “Miracles From Heaven” exists in the same creative vein as the 2014 hit “Heaven Is for Real,” about a boy who says he went to heaven and back. That Sony movie opened with $22 million on its way to a $91-million domestic total, and the Culver City studio hopes that the new picture can similarly appeal to non-churchgoing audiences as well as religious movie fans.

It’s the latest film to arise from the subgenre of Christian literature about personal experiences of the hereafter. Last year, Hayden Christensen and Kate Bosworth starred in “90 Minutes in Heaven,” which sputtered with just $4.8 million.

ryan.faughnder@latimes.com